DragonAvenger Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 (edited) RESUB 1 Original Decision Contact Info: Blue Magic Damon Campbell Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Magic/112273878949888 User ID: 4656 Submission Info: SaGa Frontier A Journey in Solitude Bio Lab Theme: Original song Youtube link: http://youtu.be/GlGXCGjMeNk Hey everyone, I have another resubmission for you all. It's another really old one that was rejected back in 2004, and again in 2005. If I remember correctly, it was my second remix attempt right after my Panic Puppet Zone remix. Here are the rejection threads: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2472 http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3149 I actually did this version back in 2009, but I never submitted it because I was not really happy with my skills at the time, and honestly didn't think it would pass because of EQing issues. I'm still not fully satisfied with myself as a remixer, but I think I at least have a better understanding of what I was doing wrong and how to correct it. I reopened this project just to see if I could make it more balanced and keep everything from sounding all cluttered up and over-compressed. I didn't really alter or upgrade the soundfonts (yes they're all soundfonts and FL samples) I used when I made it even though I do have better sounding VSTs available, because I always say, "It's not the samples you use, but how you use them!" So, they are definitely not gonna sound "live." It might be too late now since the submission standard has been raised since I actually made this song, but I'm gonna try anyway. Thanks for your time, Damon Campbell Edited May 12, 2014 by djpretzel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 When this game was being marketed I believed the title was "Salsa Frontier." True story. Anyway, this remix is pretty smooth, but it lacks a central idea or concept that makes it unique and interesting. It's pretty chill. Aside from that that, it doesn't take any particular strides away from the source. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Soundscape sounds a little thin (though the padding worked fine to fill the background out), and the electrosynths were on the generic/vanilla side. The woodwind lead articulations should be less stiff, and the solid, light beat from the snare rim shots or whatever had a kind of boring pattern, which was varied better after 1:22. The mallet percussion at 1:26 also had noticeably stiff timing; still something you legitimately need to work on across all of your projects. Stylistically, it's not as if the stiffness kills the song, but it does restrict the emotive potential. Interesting, subtle dynamic shift at 2:01 with the beat dropoff and some pronounced original orchestration coming in that clicked very nicely with the source melody and finished the track off much stronger than it started. Texturally, this could be more cohesive, and I already mentioned the articulations being a notable issue. That said, the arrangement was definitely interpretive, the dynamics (while subtle) were varied nicely, and I thought everything from 1:26-onward made a stronger case for the overall execution of this piece panning out well enough. I disagreed with Vig's call; I thought the subtlety of the way this piece evolved and built really shouldn't be sold short. The flow was never poor, but it further improved for the second half as more and more good ideas clicked. Overall, I'm comfortable with this. Good work here, Damon; keep raising your personal bar. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 The string and woodwind articulations were the weakest aspect here, but otherwise this was solidly put-together and relaxing. The piano by contrast was excellent - realistic sound, fit beautifully. This isn't a mindblowing arrangement or anything, but a solid sound upgrade with enough interpretation and flourish that it meets the standards. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 Vinnie and Larry sum it up well. Definitely keep working on your articulations and pulling out some good sounds from what you've got, but this one has some nice subtleties. Not the most amazing arrangement out there, and I hope you keep improving, but still some good work. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Not much to add here. Cool combination of sounds here and the track is well thought-out and constructed. Work on varying up velocities or perhaps the sample attack to try smooth out the rigid sequencing. I can hear where you've used reverb to help a bit here, so it's not completely exposed. Overall good stuff. I'm now sufficiently chilled. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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